Masked Gunman Kills Yemeni Who Worked As Security Official At U.S. Embassy

A masked gunman killed a Yemeni man when he was on his way to work as a security official at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, the AP and Reuters are reporting.

The Associated Press reports that Yemeni officials said the drive-by shooting was reminiscient of other attacks undertaken by the al-Qaida offshoot in Yemen.

The AP adds:

"The assassination resembles other attacks recently that have targeted Yemeni intelligence, military and security officials. Those attacks are believed to be in retaliation for a military offensive by Yemen's U.S.-backed government against Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Washington considers the most dangerous offshoot of the global terror network.

"AQAP has called for attacks on U.S. embassies in a bid to exploit the anti-American sentiment that has swept the Middle East and other parts of the Muslim world in the past month over an anti-Islam film produced in the United States."

The Obama administration has come under fire for first pinning the attack on a violent reaction to the American-made, anti-Muslim film. The administration later changed its assessment saying this was clearly a complex attack.

CBS News talked to a senior State Department official in WAshington who did not provide more details about the attack in Yemen, but said. "we are deeply saddened by this tragic incident involving a Yemeni employee of our Embassy in Sanaa, and we are working with Yemeni authorities."